The Works
by back off im completely nuts
Summary: Cheating, divorce, marriage, weddings, pregnancies, sickness, secrets, fluff, fun and more. The story with it all… (hopefully, tell me if you think of more). Mostly cannon pairings, OOC and OC characters. No Renessmee. Self-harm mentions/suicide. Carlisle in a car accident.
1. Chapter 1

**Kate POV**

I rolled my eyes at my husband who was in the middle of an animated conversation with Eleazar. We'd been driving to the Cullen's place for three hours now and both of the men had been unbearably excited the entire time, well more Garrett than Eleazar I suppose. It seemed like a waste of trip to play a game of baseball to me, but I guess it would be good to see them. It had been awhile since our two covens had been together – almost a year. I was grateful we were almost there. Garrett was really getting on my nerves. _If I hadn't of had great restraint, I would have shocked him by now, _I thought feeling guilty. It wasn't his fault if I had a bad temper today.  
I looked over at Carmen. She seemed equally as frustrated. Tanya was overly focused on driving. At least I wasn't the only one they were irritating.

As we drove up their long drive way a ball fell toward our windscreen. Tanya swore and swerved, the ball narrowly missing us. _  
_"Emmett," A few of us mumbled. To our surprise, as we pulled up to their house, Alice and Rosalie were standing there both wearing matching guilty expression.  
"Sorry!" Alice squeaked. Tanya just laughed and shook her head at them. They took us inside.

"Yes! LETS GO!" Emmett bellowed. Garrett and Jasper cheered and Eleazar smiled.  
"Come on then you babies," Rosalie said already out the door. Emmett and Jasper charged out after her and into the woods, closely followed by Edward who'd ran down the stairs. Alice, Bella, Carmen, Eleazar and Garrett walked after them. I could tell Garrett was fighting the urge to chase after them.  
Carlisle and Esme came down the stairs. They weren't holding hands as they usually were. Instead, they were looking away from each other. Tanya greeted them and I waved. Esme said a quick hello and moved toward the door. Carlisle, on the other hand, gave us a quick smile and then sat on the couch, folding his arms and looking at the floor. He looked upset. She looked pissed.  
"Carlisle. Hurry up." She snapped at him.  
"I'm not playing," he said quietly but sternly.  
"Yes you are. Hurry up," she repeated in the same tone.  
"I'm NOT a child. Don't treat me like one." There was more venom in his voice this time.  
"Then stop acting like one! Stop being difficult, let's go!" She was losing conviction.  
"No."  
"Fine. The teams will be even for once then." She looked at us with raised eyebrows and motioned toward the door.

"What was that about?" Tanya asked once we were outside. Esme sighed.  
"I don't know. He came home from work one day and was just acting… weird. He's been like that ever since." She seemed annoyed. I would be too.  
"You mean, acting like a dick?" I asked. She laughed.  
"I wouldn't put it so harshly, but yes, I guess."  
"Come on, when your husband's being an ass, you get to mouth off about him." She laughed again.  
"He has been a bit of a pain," she giggled.  
"Really? That's your worst insult? That he's a pain?" I fought to control my laughter. I'd always loved Esme and her sense of innocence. She was smiling now, and giggling uncontrollably.  
"Umm… He's being a cock?"  
"YAY! A real insult! Be it a weak one, but there we go!" I cheered. "Where'd you learn that one?"  
She looked away. "From Carlisle." She deflated at the mention of his name.  
"What's he doing using a word like that?" I couldn't imagine him calling someone that. I hoped that someone wasn't Esme.  
"Alistair… he doesn't like him very much, I don't know why." she was staring at the ground.  
"I thought they were friends."  
"Apparently not. Maybe they are from Alistair's point of view."  
"Back stabber. Didn't take Carlisle for that kind of person."  
"Me neither. Kinda makes me wonder about our relationship…especially now he's mad at me." She sounded close to tears and I put my arm around her.  
"Why's he upset with you?"  
"I don't know. Like I said, he just came home like that," she sighed. As we entered the field where the others were I noticed Tanya had stayed silent since the beginning of the conversation.

Half way through the game, I was watching my mate give in to his inner child and run around the field in a victory lap even though he lost, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around to face Tanya.  
"I'm going back to the house," she said quietly before running off down the track.  
"Okay then, have fun," I whispered to no one.  
"Who's having fun?" Garrett materialised directly in front of me.  
"You apparently," I murmured.  
"Hmm, turns out I lost. Rose caught me out."  
"I know," I giggled.  
"Then why didn't you tell me that before I made an ass of myself," he whined.  
"Cause your cute when you're embarrassed."  
"But I'm not." He had a point, he wasn't. In fact, he looked amused by the situation.  
"Come on, let's go play ball," I said rolling my eyes.  
"I don't think those guys want me back on their team. I have a better idea anyway." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bushes. I knew where this was going and didn't stop him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just thought that I should clear up that I love Carlisle and he's not really the bad guy as you'll see in the next chapters. Please Read and Review. I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY.**

**Rosalie POV**

A few hours later the Denali's went home and life returned to normal. Well, almost.  
Emmett and Jasper were playing x-box while Edward was egging them on – normal. Alice was playing dress-ups with Bella – again normal, as much as Bella hated it. I was reading, also normal for me when I was bored. Esme was sketching at the table which wasn't unusual. Except for the fact that she didn't know where Carlisle was and didn't seem to care. No-one knew where he was, except maybe Edward but he wasn't letting on. He'd disappeared out the door over an hour ago without telling anyone why or where he was off to. Esme didn't stop him, she just ignored him. I didn't think they were even talking at the moment. They both seemed to be wagering a silent war on each other. I couldn't tell who was winning.

A while later, the front door opened and Carlisle slid in. He went straight to Esme, staring at the floor the entire time. She didn't look up from her drawing.  
"And where have you been for the last hour and a half, Carlisle Cullen?" I could tell she was mad at him and her tone was sharp. He flinched. The whole family had fallen silent and was watching the pair. Even Bella and Alice were down stairs now. Esme looked up at him. "Well?"  
He shrugged and remained quiet, avoiding eye contact with his wife.  
"Why are you acting like this Carlisle? What did I do to you to make you treat me like this? You don't even listen to me anymore…" She sounded sad.  
"She has a point," Emmett whispered quietly enough so that no one but me could hear. I nodded in agreement.  
Carlisle reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it and slid it across the table toward Esme. He was biting his lip and seemed nervous. She looked down at it.  
"Carlisle… Why?" she was in tears now, and he looked close as well. "Is there someone else?"  
He hesitated, and then shook his head. Someone in the background made a disgusted noise, apparently taking the pause as a yes. I did as well.  
"YOU'RE CHEATING ON ME?!" She screamed at him, standing and shoving the chair back with her legs. "SO WHAT, I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU? IS THAT IT? WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU'RE THAT ONE THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH!" He flinched violently and took a step back when she quoted his father. "OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES COWARD!"  
We all knew how much she was hurting him, but none of us were about to come to his aid, not after what he did. He looked directly at her as he slid his ring off, putting it on top of the papers.  
"WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!" She shoved past him and ran up the stairs, sobbing. Carlisle closed his eyes and seemed to be fighting for composure. We all stared at him, unsure of how to do what we all knew had to happen. What we all now wanted to happen.

Carlisle seemed to know it too. He pulled out his wallet, removed the credit cards tied to our family and dropped them onto the table. He then picked up his keys and started toward the door. Seconds later, we heard his car start. Carlisle was gone.  
"Bustard." Edward spat. He then went up the stairs in search of Esme. The rest of us, bar Alice, went back to our previous activities, unsure of what to do now. Alice grabbed the phone. She had tears streaming down her face. Jasper went to her and attempted to put his arms around her but she pushed him away and walked outside, taking the phone with her. He looked dejected but returned to the x-box.

**Eleazar POV**

I grinned at Carmen and moved toward her on the bed. We were about to get back at Garrett and Kate for what they had done on the baseball field, which effectively made us lose the game because of the missing players.  
"You do realise that this isn't really punishing them. We do have sound proof walls. And I'm pretty sure they're doing the same thing as us right now anyway." I knew Carmen was just teasing me and that she wouldn't really stop what we were doing, but I pulled her on top of me and held her tightly as a precaution. She giggled and lent down kiss me. As our lips met the phone rang. We both groaned, knowing that because Tanya knew what we were doing, she wouldn't answer it. We also knew it would take a lot of effort to get one of the other two to get it so she would gang up on us.  
"You get it," Carmen told me. "It's easier for you to get dressed." She smirked, knowing that she was right. I sighed and got decent.

"Hello?" I tried not to be mad at the person on the other end. A sob replied. Panic grew in me and I made a mental list of who it could be.  
"E-Eleazar i-is Tanya t-there? S-s-something b-bad happened…" I couldn't recognise the voice on the other end.  
"Tanya it for you," I yelled up the stairs, glad to be rid of the phone. I realised now why women always claimed men were bad with emotions, I certainly was. Tanya took the phone from me and I went to stand by Garrett. Surprisingly he was fully dressed. He looked me up and down, making it obvious that he was addressing my shirtless situation, then shook his head as if he was disapproving. I rolled my eyes and pushed him playfully before we both turned our attention back to the phone.

"Alice… Calm down honey," Tanya was saying. Me and Garrett looked at each other and I could see panic reflected in his eyes. I silently wished I could hear the other side of the conversation.  
"It's not the end of the world sweetie, you guys will be okay." The look on her face said otherwise. Kate and Carmen watched from the top of the stairs.  
"He did what?! Alice, you can't seriously believe-" she sounded incredulous.  
"Did you guys ever hear his side of the story?"  
"Where is he now?" I could hear concern in her voice and desperately wanted to know who they were talking about.  
"Oh." Her brow knotted and she ran a hand through her hair. "How is she?" Tanya's expression told us she didn't really care. She face darkened but she didn't say anything.  
"Call us if you need anything."  
"Yeah okay… yes Alice… We love you too… bye…" She slammed the phone into the cradle and glared at it. For a while nobody dared to say anything.  
"Um… What happened?" Kate had apparently plucked up enough courage.  
"They're getting a divorce." She sound incredibly pissed off.  
"Who?" Kate asked.  
"Carlisle and Esme." Gasps of shock echoed around the room.  
"Why?"  
"Because _apparently_ he cheated on her."  
"With who?" Kate asked at the same time as Garrett said "he WOULDN'T do that!"  
"I know…" Tanya said to Garrett, ignoring Kate. "And they don't know where he's gone. I don't think they'll let him come back either…"  
"WHO CARES?! If he's done something like that then who give a shit where he is?!" Kate screamed. Carmen nodded in agreement. Tanya flinched and Garrett growled at his mate. Kate looked shocked, especially when he made it clear he wasn't apologising for it. I felt like Switzerland.  
"You obviously don't know him very well if you he would do that," he said to Kate, less harshly than before.  
"They wouldn't get divorced for no reason, Garrett. And if YOU think it's okay to do stuff like that then you'd better get the fuck out!" Kate spat the words at him and he chewed his lip. He looked like he was hiding the fact he wanted to cry. I remember feeling like that the first time me and Carmen had a serious fight. It hurt knowing your mate was that angry at you, even if it was only temporary.  
"Calm down Katie, you guys don't need a divorce as well," Carmen said quietly. Kate ignored both Carmen and her husband and glared at Tanya. She glared back. It was obvious nobody was budging from their opinions.  
Kate let out a frustrated scream and stormed up the stairs. My wife sighed and went after her.  
Tanya went into the kitchen, also fuming.  
Garrett looked down at his hands, fiddling with his ring. I went to him and hugged him, unsure of how he would react but knowing he was upset.  
"She hates me," he whimpered. I let go of him and rubbed his back, knowing how he felt.  
"She doesn't hate you Garrett, she's just mad."  
"She told me to leave though." I could hear the pain in his voice.  
"When me and Carmen had our first fight like this, she told me she never wanted to see me again, called me a liar and threw my stuff out the window at me," I chuckled.  
"Hmm…" He still looked unsure.  
"And then we had great make-up sex." I added as I walked out of the room laughing. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Garrett still standing where he was, staring after me with a confused look on his face.  
A hand shot out of a half open door and dragged me inside our room.  
"So we finish what we started now?" Carmen didn't wait for an answer, she was already undressed and undressing me. She lay back on the bed and pulled me on top of her.

**Bella POV**

"Are you sure that he actually did it?"  
Edward paced back and forward in front of me. He was mad, furious even, I could see it in his face.  
"His thoughts didn't deny it Bella," he said sharply. "I think that's enough proof, don't you?" I nodded knowing he was right.  
I just couldn't believe he'd done that to Esme. I didn't want to believe it. Somewhere downstairs I could hear my mother in-law sobbing quietly. Although she had calmed down a lot since _he_ first left, she was still upset. Which, of course, was understandable.  
"So, how do you think it was?" I asked.  
"Think who was?"  
"The um… 'someone else.'" I struggled to ask the question appropriately as to not upset my husband further.  
"I don't know!" _Bad move,_ I thought to myself. "They can both go rot in hell. I hate them! He didn't deserve Esme! She'll be better off without him. She can find someone who actually loves her, not some lying, filthy, scum. God, I hate him." Edwards words came out in a rush, and I knew he meant them. I guess he spoke for all of the Cullens, if not all of them. It saddened m to know they hated their father figure so much. I doubted they would ever forgive him for hurting her like that, I knew I wouldn't. it was strange to think that just hours before, if anyone said what Edward had said about Carlisle just now, they would have killed him. Now I was pretty sure that most of them would say something similar.  
Except Alice. She seemed stuck in the middle. Although she was mad at Carlisle, she still worried that no one knew where he was. She comforted Esme, but she had still attempted to defend him in the beginning. When this was met with hostility from her brothers and sisters, she soon kept quiet, but I could tell every time they said something about him, she wanted to defend him.

I noticed as soon as Carlisle was gone, Emmett had gone through his phone which he had left on the table, probably in search of someone which he could abuse for the destruction of his family.  
this was going to be a lot messier than Renee and Charlie's divorce.

I heard a cell phone go off downstairs. Jasper answered it.  
"If you ever ring here again you stupid bit-"  
"Oh, sorry."  
"no, he's not here."  
"I wouldn't be talking to you if he had his phone with him would I?" I could hear Jasper getting irritable.  
"Goodbye," he said harshly and hung up on whoever was on the other end.

"Who was that?" Rosalie asked, curiosity lacing her voice.  
"Garrett." Apparently that was all that needed to be said as the room fell quiet. I was surprised that Jasper was as mad as he was, but I guessed that he was just feeling what the others in the house were feeling. Especially Esme.

In the middle of the night, the shrill call of a phone rang through the house, awaken us. I heard someone curse and run down the stairs as quietly as they could as not to wake anyone who might still be asleep.  
"Hello?" Esme's tired voice answered.  
"I don't care." She said sharply. The phone cradle scratched against the counter top as she roughly shoved the phone into it.  
Edward rolled out of bed of stumbled toward the staircase.  
"What was that about?" he asked her.  
"Nothing, go back to bed, it doesn't matter."  
He returned to bed and I heard a door close down the hall.

**Kate POV**

I walked into the kitchen to find Tanya standing there with her hand clamped tightly over her mouth, the other squeezing her phone.  
"What?!" I asked her frantically. I could see tears welling up in her eyes. She shook her head violently, put her phone on the bench and walked upstairs. I followed her to her room. She grabbed a bag and began putting things inside it. Packing.  
"Tanya, where are you going? What happened?" she was shaking slightly.  
"Nothing. Look, I have to go. I don't know when I'll be back, but um, I'll call you." She voice was quiet and quavered at the end.  
"Where?! I'm not letting you go in the middle of the night, if I don't know where you going?" I was beginning to panic.  
"You're not my mother Kate, you can't stop me. This is important."  
"But what if something happens to you and we can't find you?! Can't you at least go in the morning?!" She shook her head and continued packing. When she was done she turned to me, placing a hand on the side of my face.  
"Don't worry Katie, I'm safe where I'm going, pretty much safer than I'll ever be."  
"Can you at least tell me what's going on?" I could hear I was wining like a child. Again she shook her head, leaving me frustrated.  
"I'll call you," she repeated, going out the door and closing it behind her. I heard her car start.

Arms wrapped themselves around my waist. I sighed and lent into Garrett.  
"Where's she going?" He asked cautiously. I suddenly felt horrible for yelling at him this afternoon.  
"I don't know," I said, hoping he could hear my guilt in my voice. I would have to find a way to make it up to him.  
"Are you… are you still mad at me?" He asked quietly. I felt like crying. I could hear how much I had hurt him in his voice.  
I spun around and tied my arms around his neck, kissing him hard. He pulled away.  
"That's not an answer," he whispered. I could hear that he was starting to panic.  
"No I'm not mad at you, you're the one who should be mad at me!"  
"Okay good," he said, seeming satisfied with my answer. I kissed him again, then pulled back.  
"Generally when one kisses you Garrett, they are not upset with you," I giggled at my husband. His smile wavered, then fell. "What?" He pulled me closer in response, hugging me tightly. I guessed, so that I couldn't see his face. "Garrett, what's the matter?"  
"Nothing," he mumbled against my hair. I was sick of being left out of the loop.  
"You can tell me, you know that. Please don't do a Tanya on me." I tried to pull away so I could see him, but he didn't let go.  
"It's just that Annie use to-"  
"who's Annie?" I interrupted.  
"My ex-girlfriend from when I was a new-born." I could tell he didn't like talking about her.  
"Okay."  
"She used to kiss me instead of giving me an actual answer, especially when she was upset with me. She used to do it a lot toward the end when she was lying…" I could see that part of him wanted to tell me about it but he was scared. I wasn't used to seeing my husband scared.  
I squeezed him in encouragement, letting him know it was okay. I still couldn't see his face. "Lying about what, honey?"  
"She…she cheated on me. With my brother. And then dumped me when I found out." His words rushed out and I wondered if it had been involuntary.  
"And you were scared I was going to leave you too?" I asked gently, pulling away. He nodded, finally letting go of me and staring at the ground.  
Many emotions swelled in me at once, but mostly just anger. I couldn't understand anyone would anyone would do that to him, hurt him like that. What I could understand though, was why he was so sensitive about that kind of thing, why he was upset about Carlisle and Esme's divorce, even though he didn't know them that well.  
"He didn't do it," Garrett said suddenly.  
"Who didn't do what?"  
"Carlisle, he wouldn't have done that to her." I was surprised that he brought this up again. I sighed.  
"What proof do we have? They wouldn't be divorced if he didn't."  
"He loved her."  
"Then why did she divorce him?" I could hear my own irritation in my voice.  
"She didn't, he divorced her." I could tell he was losing his temper too.  
"And how do you know that?" I half shouted.  
"Because… because…" he stuttered.  
"Exactly. Why are we still fighting over this anyway, what difference does it make to us?"  
"It doesn't make a difference to us, it makes a difference to me," he snapped.  
"BUT WHY!?"  
"Because we shouldn't hate him for something he didn't do!"  
"But he did do it!" Garrett gritted his teeth.  
"He wouldn't have divorced her if he was the one in the wrong, Kate." He pushed past me and disappeared upstairs. Now we were back to square one, except I was the one who wanted forgivness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tanya POV**

As soon as my plane touched down in Italy I raced for a cab.  
It took a quarter of an hour just to get out the airport gate. I wished I could run. I could have been there within ten minutes if I could have. Everything was too slow, the traffic dribbled down the lanes, lights stopped us at every turn, pedestrians held back traffic. I could be too late by now.  
I sighed and tapped my foot impatiently, holding back anxious tears. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this worried.  
"In a hurry, miss?" The driver asked in Italian. I nodded and ran my hand through my hair. My fingers tangled at the ends and I realised I must have fallen asleep on the fight.  
"Yeah? Well you picked the wrong day to be," he told me, laughing. I fought the urge to rip his throat out – I would have if it wouldn't have slowed me down.  
_Yeah? Well you picked the wrong day to fuck with me," _ I thought bitterly. "Shut up and drive, ass hole. I'm not in the mood." I snapped at him.  
"Oh, she feisty, ain't she?" He asked no one in particular.  
"Don't expect a tip, you jerk."  
"You know, I find that attractive in a woman," he told me. I ripped open the cab door, forcing him to stop. I slammed the door behind me and marched down the street toward the Volturi's building. I ignored his abuses when he realised I wasn't paying him at all. Spinning around, I flipped him the bird and continued walking. I guessed I was probably going faster than I should have been in public, but I didn't care.

I pushed open their heavy door, unsure where to go now. Panic was getting the best of me.  
"Can I help you?" A lady behind a desk asked me. Her name tag read Gianna.  
"Yes please," I said, reminding myself of a small child. "I'm looking for the hospital."  
"Four levels down on your right. Then go to the end of that corridor and turn left. It's through the double doors at the end." I must have looked bewildered because she came out from behind her desk and walked me to the elevator.  
"You visiting someone?" she asked while we waited. I nodded, still trying not to cry. "We got one boy through here today," she shook her head; "I don't think I've ever seen one as bad as he was. Doubt he made it past lunch."  
"Don't scare her Gianna; she doesn't need to know about other casualties. You'll only worry her." Athenadore spoke from behind us. I jumped, not knowing she was there.  
"Go with her," the receptionist motioned. "She'll be going to emergency." The door opened and I hurried inside, desperate to get downstairs. Although there were only two of us going down, the door still stayed open far longer than necessary. I groaned.  
"Who are you after?" Caius's wife asked me.  
"A friend," I squeaked. I couldn't bring myself to trust her. Not after what they did to Sasha.  
"Did he come in recently?" Her voice was kind, sympathetic.  
"Yes. Wait, 'he'? You know who I'm looking for?" I panicked, I was worried that maybe if they recognised me, they might punish me, even after all these years of leaving us in peace.  
"Not that it really matters, we're so busy nobody's leaving emergency, but you're Esme, right?" I nodded, hoping she wouldn't detect the lie.  
The alarm binged and the door opened. I followed her down the long hallways and through the large doors.

My once quiet surroundings were now alive with people. Bed lined every wall and nurses hurried everywhere. More ill sat in chairs in front of a desk, waiting for their names to be called. They were going to be waiting a long time.  
As I walked down the endless maze of corridors in the emergency ward, I took note of all the names, trying to find him. I had given up looking at faces, there were just too many. After doing two laps of the entire ward, I still couldn't find him. Sobs heaved in my chest as I approached the desk. In my head, I saw pictures of the morgue, of bodies lined up against walls and his being one of them.  
"Excuse me, miss? Can I help you?" a male voice askes behind me. I was grateful I didn't have to wait in the line. It was Demetri.  
"I'm looking for someone…" My voice shook and tears ran down my face. "But I don't think they're here I've been around twice and I can't find them and I don't-"  
"What's their name?" I hesitated. "I can't help you if I don't know who they are, and anyway, if they're already here, what difference does it make if we know who they are? We probably already do."  
"Carlisle," I mumbled.  
"Cullen?" I nodded. He walked over to the desk and started talking to the woman behind. She seemed irritated by his interruption. Slowly, he made his way back to me, looking at the ground.  
"Umm… He's not down here… He's in ICU," he said, scratching the back of his neck. I froze, feeling pure terror. "But, um… they won't let you in unless you're his wife. And you're not Esme…" He looked and sounded guilty. "I honestly don't know why they called you, not her… Sorry…" My heart fell. At least he was still alive, I guess.  
Suddenly, a women came running up behind him and pushed him out of the way.  
"Are you Tanya Denali?" I nodded slowly, confused by what was going on.  
"Heidi, she can't go in ther-" He started but she cut him off.  
"They're divorced. I'm making exceptions," she snapped at him, grabbing my arm. "Come with me." She dragged me along a great twisting mass of hallways while explaining;  
"Don't try and have any in-depth conversations with him, he's on that many drugs he won't understand, care or remember by tomorrow. Anything he says, he probably doesn't mean, in fact, I don't think he can actually talk at the moment anyway because he's supposed to have tube down his throat last time I checked. Don't touch, sit on or jerk the bed, don't touch the IV lines. He's not allowed to eat or drink anything, or go to sleep, even though I don't think he could if he wanted to. If Sulpicia says out, then out. Immediately. Good luck," she smiled at me before leaving me outside the door which I was apparently supposed to go inside.

I was too scared, too over-whelmed to open it. A few nurses walked past and gave me questioning looks. I tried to compose myself before going in, not want to upset him. I didn't actually know whether he wanted me there or not and felt rejection pulling me back.  
"Are you just going to stand there all day or are you actually going to go in? Cause if you're not, go home. We don't need another person in here." A voice said in a harsh tone, causing me to jump. One of the nurses was staring at me.  
"I-i-i…"I stuttered. She rolled her eyes and walked away.  
Slowly I pushed open the door. My hands shook with fear of what I would find. I had never seen Carlisle Cullen vulnerable and it scared me that I might – would.  
"W-what are y-you d-doing here?" His voice shook and broke in weird places. I could tell he spoke through gritted teeth.  
"Visiting you," I replied, trying my best to sound strong and positive.  
He mumbled something quietly but I didn't catch what it was. I walked over to him. The only damage to him I could see was a bruise and a couple of scratches on the side of his face. The rest of him was hidden under the sheet. He took a deep breath and seemed to try to hold it, but let it out quickly. He was biting his lip.  
"What happened? They only told me you had an accident," I asked gently, sitting in the chair beside the bed.  
"…Crashed in to…something… I don't remember what…" He choked at the end, holding back tears. I guessed it had nothing to do with his injuries, at least not his physical ones.  
"Are you okay?"  
"I just flipped my car, what do you think?" He snapped harshly at me. His voice was thick and I knew he was attempting to hide his pain.  
"That's not what I'm talking about, sweetie, and you know it." I had never called him that before, only really Alice and Kate, and hoped he wouldn't notice or at least care. He didn't seem to.  
He looked away as a tear ran down his cheek. He attempted to swat in away, but as soon as he bend his arm he yelped and put it back down on the bed. I could only see his hand because of his long sleeves, but it was swollen and purpley-blue.  
I moved my chair closer to the bed and put my hand on the rail, scared to touch him in case I hurt him. I could tell he was fighting for composure. "Hey…" He stared down at his lap.  
"She was pregnant with his baby," he whispered, tears running freely now.  
"Who's baby, honey?" _Dammit Tanya, not again.  
_"Alistair's…" I was speechless, I thought Alistair was his best friend.  
"How do you know it's his?"  
"I caught them in bed together," he whimpered.  
"Well, maybe it's yours," I said, trying to cheer him up a bit.  
"It can't be… we haven't-" he broke off with a loud gasp, leaning forward in the bed.  
"What's wrong?" I asked frantically.  
"Just… Hurts," again he spoke through clenched teeth.  
"This got pain relief in it?" I tapped the pole holding up his drip.  
"N-no, j-just fluid. I g-got sick on the ambulance." His words were rushed and his voice trembled.  
"Jesus Carlisle! No wonder it hurts! Have you had anything at all?" He shook his head, still hunched forward. I quickly move toward the door in search of a nurse or doctor, ready to abuse the first person I saw. That unlucky person was Heidi.  
"Heidi!" She spun around startled.  
"Ah, can I help you?" Had it been a different situation I would have laughed at her professionalism.  
"YES YOU CAN FUCKING HELP ME! HE'S BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST 24 HOURS NOW AND NONE OF YOU BLOODY BUSTARDS HAVE GIVIN HIM ANY FUCKING PAIN RELIEF!" Everyone in the corridor had turned to stare at my outburst.  
"Umm… Who?" She squeaked, intimidated.  
"Carlisle Cullen." I growled. Her brow furrowed.  
"I'm not his doctor, but, ah," she grabbed the sleeves of one of the nurses that walked past us and barked some orders at her. "Go with her and see that she does it," she told me. As I walked away, I heard Heidi mutter something about 'the useless staff in this place'. I followed the nurse back into his room.  
He was still sitting upright, but looked pale and distant, on the point of passing out. She grabbed his arm, making him gasp, and ripped the lure out.  
It took her three goes, but she eventually got the new needle in. He stayed quiet the entire time. While she had his sleeve pulled back, I saw that the rest of his arm was roughly the same colour as his hand, except covered with more scrapes. Blood had soaked through his shirt.  
She hooked the new drip up and began asking him questions, assessing him.  
As she turned to leave, her foot caught on the leg of the bed, jerking it violently. He cried out at the sharp movement, and I could see his body trembling. My blood boiled and I restrained from punching the nurse. As she hurried from the room the only thing that stopped me from doing so was that he let out a sob. I turned to him, my mood softening. He was still sitting awkwardly, even though the bed was flat.  
"Lie down, it might hurt less," I told him gently. He shook his head.  
"Cant…think I broke my ribs." He barely managed the broken sentence. His hand gripped the railing tightly, although I wasn't sure he knew he was doing it. Ignoring Heidi's warning, I sat on the bed next to him and slowly peeled his fingers away from the bar. He let go when he realised what was happening.  
He lent his head against the wall and closed his eyes, still fighting tears and leaving his hand in my lap. My guess was that it hurt too much and he couldn't be bothered moving it, so he settled for touching me for the time being.  
"Think you broke your hand too," I mumbled after a while. He looked down at it and groaned.  
"Fuck." I held back a giggled, worried that if I laughed I would shake the bed.  
"Did Carlisle Cullen just say the 'f' word?"  
"I think he did," he replied quietly, smiling slightly despite himself.  
"If someone had told me that yesterday, I don't think I would have believed them."  
"Me neither, it's amazing what drugs can do to people." His words were slurred and ran together.  
"I think you might be a bit stoned," I told him.  
"I think you need to get that third head seen to." He feigned seriousness. I rolled my eyes at him. Only he could joke in this situation.  
Suddenly he started moving.  
"What are you doing?" I asked him, feeling like a mother scolding a child doing something stupid. He didn't reply, just pulled the sheet off and threw it on the floor. "Declaring war on the bed, are we?"  
"That sheet had it coming," he replied, out of breath. I could tell that the movement had hurt him despite the drugs. He slowly shifted back to lean against the wall, folding one leg under him the best he could. After a while once I knew he was staying put, I moved back to where his legs had been and lent against the other wall.

"Okay you, Out!" A loud female voice jolted me awake. I realised I must have fallen asleep and that she meant me. Carlisle looked barely coherent and only half awake. "Visiting hours are over, time to go," she was giggling. "Sorry to take your girlfriend, Carlisle, but she has to go." He went red, making her laugh harder.  
"Oh, I'm not his girlfriend, we're not together," I said quickly.  
"Jane…" he complained, closing his eyes again.  
"I'm sorry, but seriously, I'm not allowed to let you stay here."  
"Who are we not letting stay here?" Sulpicia came in asking. "By the way Mr, it's x-ray time," she said nudging apparently reawakening him.  
"No…" he mumbled.  
"It's night time, do it in the morning." Jane said flatly. She turned to me with her eyebrows raised. I got the message and began to move, slowly as not to disturb him again.  
"No," Carlisle said again.  
"No what?" Sulpicia said smiling, "You have to have it done sometime, so you may as well do it while you're still on meds." He bit his lip and looked down at his lap, seeming like he wanted to cry.  
"I don't think that's what he means…" Jane said, shyly, looking pointedly at me.  
"You want Tanya to stay for a while longer," Aro's wife said it as more of a statement than a question. He hesitated, and then nodded, still looking away. She seemed at a loss of what to do. "One hour, then she goes home." He nodded again, still looking at him lap. "And, you still have to have your x-rays done now." Jane sighed and mumbled something about 'should have been off work an hour ago'. Carlisle didn't respond and I was still in a surprised shock.  
Sulpicia removed the IV lines, forced him to lie down, then removed him from the room. I suddenly found myself alone for the first time in days.

**Carmen POV**

I sat on the bed next to Eleazar, holding his hand tightly, listening to the ruckus going on down stairs. Kate and Garrett had been fighting for hours. The only one we could hear was Kate, but there were moments of silence so I guessed he was responding as well. Even the sound-proofing in the walls couldn't mask their argument.  
Suddenly a door slammed, causing us both to jump.  
"You think this is it for them?" He whispered quietly.  
"I hope not," I whispered back. He squeezed my hand in comfort. A few minutes later, another door opened, then slammed. A sob downstairs made my blood freeze. I looked up at Eleazar. He looked back, seeming frozen as I was.  
"I think I should go see if their okay…" I said quietly. He nodded slowly. I patted his leg as I hesitantly got up and made my way to the door, scared of what I might find.

**Kate POV**

The longer or fight went on the angrier I became, to the point where I wanted to shock him. We weren't even arguing over the same topic we started on, now it was just anything that one person about the other. Although he spoke quietly, I could tell he was just as pissed as I was, however, I was yelling full volume. I felt sorry for the other two upstairs, they had to of been able to hear this.  
"You don't even listen to me anymore," he was saying, venomously.  
"You're not listening to me now!" I screamed at him.  
"I AM listening to you! You're just not paying enough attention to notice it!"  
"SO WHAT?! IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE FIGHTING ANYWAY!"  
"Then why won't you just listen to me then we wouldn't be fighting either!?"  
"BECAUSE YOUR WRONG!"  
"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!? YOU WERENT LISTNING!" Now he was yelling equally as loud. God I wanted to shock him so bad.  
"WHY ARE YOU SO FRUSTRATING?! ALL YOU DO IS WHINE AND FIGHT! AND YOUR WRONG ANYWAY, SO WHATS THE POINT?! I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHY I MARRIED YOU ANYMORE! I DON'T EVEN LIKE YOU! I NEVER DID!" Weeks of pent up emotion flooded out at once.  
"You don't mean that, do you? You're just mad, right? You still love me?" his voice was quiet, shaking, his eyes welling up. _Cry you bustard, you deserve it,_ I thought bitterly.  
"YES I FUCKING MEAN IT! I don't love you, never loved you! I HATE you, Garret. HATE YOU!" I screamed. He fell against the couch, leaning his back on it, his face in his hands. His whole body shook with what I guessed were sobs. In the back of my mind, I wanted to go to him and make it better, apologise and admit that I really did love him, hoping he would do the same. Most of me just wanted to kill him. I had to get out, or we were getting a divorce too. I ran up the stairs.

Minutes later I was back in the lounge, carrying a fully packed bag and heading for the door.  
"Where are you going?" He asked. His face was wet and red. He looked miserable. That small part of me again wanted to stay.  
"To the Cullen's," I snapped.  
"W-when a-are you c-c-com-ming b-back?" He cried. I don't think I had ever seen my mate cry before.  
"IF I come back, I'll ring you first."  
"I love you," he choked out quietly. I made for the door.  
"Cry baby," I mumbled, walking out it. I started my car. 


End file.
